Stolen Shell
by Okita1209
Summary: I've changed this story a LOT, so I hope if you decide to read it you'll enjoy it. It's centered around Jenova and her lover from before the Calamity. It's pretty much where her lover tries to find her again, has lots of problems and challenges, etc.
1. Dreams

_**Stolen Shell**_

_**Chapter 1:**_

_**Dreams**_

_Again?_she wondered, glancing about the now familiar darkness of her dreamscape. _What's with this place, couldn't I dream of somewhere else?_

For the past month she'd been plagued by dreams of this place, this void that existed around her. For the first weeks, she'd been alone, wandering into the vast nothingness, whispers that she could barely make out taunting her with every step. And if she had stayed asleep much longer past that point during those nights, she knew that she surely would have gone mad. But no matter how long she strived to stay awake, sleep always came, bringing the pitch scape and the whispers along side it.

Then, not but two weeks before, she started to catch glimpses of snowy white hair, dancing, just behind her line of sight. It was familiar, in a way, and she had no idea why. Shortly after, perhaps a night or two, time blended so perfectly then, she'd seen the strangest pair of eyes. One a glowing red and the other a vibrant green, light and dark at the same time. There was nothing else, though, no other facial features and the blindingly pale hair seemed to hide the rest of the being's body from her sight.

The being's presence seemed to push the whispers into the background of the dark scape, if not silence them altogether, and for those two nights, or was it three, the impending madness she'd begun to feel almost disappeared completely. It faded almost as surely as the whispers had, in that she could no longer feel it but it might still remain, ticking in the back of her consciousness like a clock counting down. She had accepted it, though, content in the silent presence of the white being as it danced in and out of her vision. At least, until a few nights ago ...

She'd barely closed her eyes as she lay utterly exhausted in her make-shift bed, the steady whirr of the ship's massive engines fading as the bliss of unconsciousness crept into her mind. The black behind her eyelids wrapping around her, and even though she knew that she was dreaming, it always felt that she was really there, living in the nothingness of her dreamscape. A short while later, or maybe it was an eternity, the being was there, swaying and disappearing, dancing the endless, taunting waltz in and out of her vision. But it wasn't as infuriating, she had accepted it, just as she had accepted the silent darkness, the being itself, content with its presence.

"Aya ... "

Her eyes snapped in the direction of the whispered form of her nickname. How did it know her name? Was it because her mine had made it so, because this place was just a dream and so too was the being? So she resigned herself to closing her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. It was just a dream, after all.

And for the rest of the night, she was certain she'd just been hearing things, that the whispers meant nothing, for there were no more whispers, from the deep darkness beyond her or from the being. But her resolve was quickly shattered the night after, for the decidedly feminine voice called out to her again. The whispered cries, tortured and devastated from the being in her dream. She'd woken in a cold sweat after only an hour or more of sleep, her breath freezing in her lungs as it rushed in and out of her body in heavy bursts.

All of that leading up to tonight, and she'd tried to keep the being's voice from reaching her, for even when she was awake it haunted her like a ghost. Why was it so familiar, was it even a person or just some figment of her imagination made real in her dreams? Had she finally snapped?

No, she was certain of her sanity, her memories might be lost but not her mind. She could still think rational thoughts after all, which lead her to wonder why such a bright figure met her in the suffocating void of this ... place, if it could even be called such.

The brightness, the beacon, had not yet shown itself to her as she floated in the darkness. It wasn't unusual, she was normally alone in the quiet for either a minute or a lifetime before the snowy hair and glowing eyes would appear, accompanied by that beautiful and horrible voice. She was alone, with only her sanity to keep an unimaginable madness at bay.

_What is this place?_ She found herself wondering, _Is it a representation of my life, since I can't remember it? Does it mean that I'm empty?_

Before she could further meditate the infinite possibilities, she caught a glimpse of the green eye, framed by flowing locks of snow and liquid silver. And reflexes borne from some thing or time that she couldn't remember, she swirled. And in half the time it took to bat an eyelash, she had a fistful of the silken hair wrapped around her hand, holding it tightly lest it slip through her fingers like water.

The face that met hers was beautiful, sad and delicate and heartbreakingly beautiful. Pale unblemished skin, perfectly positioned cheekbones and an expression that made her want to fall to the ground and sob uncontrollably. Something stirred within her and she didn't recognise it even though she was sure that it had been tied to this being for every day of her life before she'd forgotten, lost her memory to some freak accident.

She closed her eyes, clenched them shut and shook her head; there were answers that she needed, questions that needed to be lain to rest. And when she opened her eyes, the ethereal glow of the being before didn't affect her so, it didn't soak all of her attention like a sponge, but the stirrings within her continued. So she tightened her grip on the hair in her hand, her knuckles turning white at the effort and her nails digging into her palms.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice sounding very similar to the being's in her own ears, but vastly different at the same. "What is this place, what does it mean? I need to know!" Her words sank into the darkness like a knife into a bed of crushed velvet cushions. And each agonizing second longer that she held onto the being's hair, looked into the eyes that were tormenting her so terrifyingly at the moment, the stirring started to make her chest ache.

Then something happened that she did not expect, not in her wildest imaginings. Graceful hands with delicate fingers took hold of each side of her face, grasping it gently. The hands of an artist looking over a masterpiece, appreciating the lines and intricacies, that's what it felt like. She swallowed, not sure what to think as the mysterious being brought her closer, guiding her with steady assurance, until she could feel a soft warmth on her cheek.

"Aya," the being breathed, eyes softening. "I've found you."

"Who are you?" she asked, the demand not coming out as rough as she wanted. "How do you know me?" and she ached so much that all her determination had melted into a whisper. _Why can't I speak, _she wondered, her eyes captivated by the being's own odd-colored gaze, _what's happening to me?_

"Come to me, Aya, I'll show you the way."

"Who- "

"I need you ..."

She was taken aback, her determination to get her answers dissolved into nothingness at the being's voice. The need, like that of a lost child, or of a lover left all alone ...

"I'll show you the way, Aya. Come to me, I need you."

Then, the glowing being faded, and her grip on it's hair lessened almost subconsciously; she ached so horribly that she couldn't stand. With the being gone, she could name it, the pull on her heart and how she hurt so when that hair and those eyes had captivated her. It was something that she should have never forgotten, of that she was sure. No matter how long she'd slept in the time defying sleep, no matter what other memories had been lost, she knew that it was wrong of her to forget this one. She and the white being had been important to each other and she knew it because the look on it's face matched the ache in her heart. As she sank to her knees in the emptiness of the devoid scape, she clutched her chest with both hands.

It was love.

A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to finally do something worthwhile to this story. I had school and stuff and A.D.D. and writer's block ... I was a mess. And then, then there was a rabid plot bunny who met the dead plot bunny already living inside my skull. He used a resurrection signet on it and together they procreated, and now I'm so overflowing with ideas that I can't go anywhere without a pen and paper lest I should forget a good idea. I kid you not, you can ask those who live with me, it's horrible. BUT! I have done something, and I've even started laying out a plot. So review, review, review! I think I'll start the next chapter ... tomorrow.

Ja ne! -

P.S. - This chapter, and possibly others to come, is dedicated to FoxDragon for the review, it got me off my lazy ass. Thanks so much for reading!


	2. Questions

**Believe it or not, I don't own anything, not the Final Fantasy VII characters or places, hell, I don't even own the ideas spouting from my mind. Nope, the evil, rabid plot bunnies PWND those .. :nods: I'm suck a loser :sigh:**

_**Stolen Shell**_

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**Questions**_

Aya couldn't breathe, her heartbeat thundering in her ears as the oppressive darkness of the void closed in around her, pressing against her on all sides. In that moment she wished the white being would come back, stop the voices that had returned with a vengeance in its absence. Their voices resounded through her head, a mass of indiscernible echoes that was so loud within her mind that she swore her skull would split at any moment. With hands clutching the sides of her head and her knees tucked tight against her chest, she tried in vain to fight against the claustrophobia swelling with in her consciousness.

"Stop it!" she cried out in utter anguish, "Get away from me!"

Then she was seized by the feeling of something pushing from within her chest, completely different from the clutching ache of before; it felt like something was trying to get out. It ran sharp claws underneath the inside of her skin, its presence burning her muscles and making her bones turn to ice that was cold enough to have come from the darkness of deep space.

_What is this?_ she wondered and a gasp of pain escaped her mouth to be swallowed by the dreamscape as it drew ever closer.

"Let me out, Belial," the thing inside her spoke, its voice feral and seductive and full of deadly promise. "We can kill them all, _you_ can kill them all, destroy them with nothing more than a thought. Let go of your stupid, useless control, remember what it's like to kill and let me out. Belial ..."

It wrapped one clawed hand around her heart and squeezed violently, the other raking the same sharp as knives nails against her back. It carved something there, whether they were words or symbols she couldn't tell, but she could feel it. As if with a poet's pen defiling pure parchment, she could feel the thing inside her write into her flesh, branding her, marking her.

Everything was pain, her entire body was freezing and burning, being crushed into nothing while the thing inside her threatened to make her very being fall apart. She couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't draw breath into her lungs and she was quickly nearing the line, the line between sanity and madness. The only things understandable to her were the rage that had somehow embedded itself into her mind, and the need to escape from the darkness both around her and within her.

She screamed out in a voice that sounded almost as bestial as the one that had come from the creature clawing away at her flesh, her own voice mixed with a monstrous roar. She could feel something changing, shifting, just on the surface of her eyes as she kicked out viciously against the darkness. When she felt her foot connect against it solidly with a thud, her eyes widened in surprise. And just as she was about to lash out at the void again, beat the crap out of it for messing with her, she recognized the sensation of something like a planet-fall, which could only mean one thing: _she_ was falling.

_What the -?_ and that was all she had time to wonder.

SMACK!

Something solid and cold collided with her face and she instinctively curled her body into a fetal position to keep herself from further harm, but then her whole right side collided with the object as well. Her hip bone and shoulder stung at the impact on the unforgiving coldness and Aya let out a squeal of pain from between her hands as they held her abused face.

"Itai," she nearly shrieked out as she opened her eyes to see the dimly-lit floor of her room.

The cold of the metal bit into her skin, causing goose bumps to form on her bare arms and legs as she lay sprawled on the floor. But at least it made sense now, how the darkness had "turned solid". In her tossing and turning while she'd slept, she'd most likely kicked the wall on the side of her bed and pushed her upper body off the other side. In the imbalance she had fallen, landing quite effectively on her face. Which meant that when she'd tried to curl her body up, the rest of her had fallen as well, bringing her to the current position she held on the cold, solid metal floor.

She groaned into her hands as a warm, thick liquid streamed from her abused nose to the crevices between her fingers. It was blood, however unsurprising as it may be, something that to someone of her position should have seemed so simple. But as she looked down at the redness on her hands, seeing it as it glowed despite the lack of light, she was baffled. What she couldn't remember, she was certain that this substance, her own blood, could at least point her in the direction where she would find her answers. After all, who else in all the universe had glowing blood?

A laugh forced its way from her throat and she pushed herself into a sitting position. She wiped the luminescent blood from her face with the back of one hand and with the other, wiped the gathering wetness from her eyes.

"I can't believe this," she laughed, tucking her knees beneath her chin. "I had a bad dream and I fall out of my own bed and land on my _face_!" After a moment she sighed and wiped the redness covering her hands onto her shirt, not caring that it would be ruined. "I'm so pathetic. I couldn't even remember my name when I got out."

_She was met with a flash of light and an unfamiliar face as she took her first breath of untreated air for the first time in who knew how long. Light brown hair brushed against the side of her face as the person with the face hugged her close. Her brow furrowed and as she tried to work her arms, she finally found her voice._

"_Who a-are you? What... what is ... this pl-ace ?" It hurt so much to speak, her throat burned and even her lungs were constricting with the pressure. She gasped and took several deep breaths, not noticing the look of concern that crossed the other's face._

"_Y-you don't remember me?" a soft but upset voice asked, eyes becoming sadder by the second. But the man it came from managed to reign in his emotions and take her firmly by the shoulders, "What _do _you remember?" He took a breath, gazing into her eyes, drawing her attention from her surroundings to his face, "Let's start with your name, do remember that much?"_

_Her brow furrowed and she concentrated, _My name, what's my name? I should know my name ... why can't I remember? _She pressed her palms to her temples, her skin slick with the oxyfluid that she'd been submersed in. "My name ... what's my name?" she asked, her voice raw and tormented as tears threatened to spill from her. "Wh-why can't I remember?"_

_Then others came up from behind the one who held her in front of him. They looked at her with obvious concern and started talking amongst themselves, but she couldn't hear what they were saying, she was so immersed in concentration. One put his hand on her shoulder and her gaze snapped to him, the sudden movement making her somewhat nauseous and dizzy. He shook her lightly, his grip tightening when she neither told him to stop nor addressed his presence._

"_Colonel? Colonel, what's wrong with you?"_

Why's he calling me that? Who are they? Do I know any of them? ... Why would he call me that, was I in the military? _she wondered as he continued to shake her, the movements quickly becoming too much for her delicate state to handle._

_He and the others behind him started to argue, amongst themselves as before and with the man who she'd woken to find holding her. But her mind didn't register any of what they were saying even though they were nearly at the point of screaming at the top of their lungs. She blinked the blackness from the edges of her vision, gazing from unfamiliar face to unfamiliar face before the darkness seized her and she was released into blissful unconsciousness._

Aya sat on the cold, hard metal floor of her room, back against the edge of her bed and arms wrapped around her bare legs. Clad only in simple black shorts and a large but sleeveless white shirt, which was now spotted and streaked with blood, she hardly registered the lack of warmth in the space around her. The goosebumps on her arms and legs were the only indication that she felt the cold at all.

_Who am I? _she wondered, resting her forehead on her knees, _Why can't I remember?_

The slight sound of releasing air pressure sounded and in the back of her consciousness she registered it as her door opening, but she didn't care. It was probably just one of the drones checking in on her. There were soft thuds against the floor and she felt them as vibrations beneath her on the metal. _Footsteps ..._ It was the hand on her arm and the voice beside her that finally brought her back to the cold, dark room and out of her thoughts.

_Who, I wonder?_

"Aya? I heard you scream and there was a loud bang, are you all right?" the voice asked, full of that same concern.

_That's right, it's Jack. Thank the stars for him at least, _though she stayed silent, content that he was near her.

"Sister?"

"I'm well," she reassured him finally, looking up at him, his brown gaze meeting her own steely gray one. She let out a short laugh, "Or at least as well as I'm capable of being what with the condition I'm stuck in."

Jack lowered an eyebrow and frowned in displeasure at her comment before raising a hand to brush the black locks of her hair from her eyes. That same hand moved down her cheek and underneath her chin, raising her face to meet his gaze more fully.

"We'll find your answers, Aya-nee. Whatever answers you need, I promise we'll find them together with the others." He smiled gently and lowered his hand as she looked away from his sympathetic gaze, disgusted with herself for putting him through such torment.

Jack sighed and sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "Wanna talk about it?"

"About what?" she asked, "About how I fell out of bed and kissed the floor?"

He laughed, his eyes brightening with the surprise he was sure to have felt. "Is that what happened?" he managed to ask through his laughter.

She scowled at him, not really meaning it but determined to make him think she was serious. When he just kept on laughing she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "You suck, Jack, laughing at your own older sister like that. Isn't there some rule where you're supposed to respect your elders?" and her question was met with more laughter. Her eye twitched as she fought the urge to punch him right on the side of the head, "I can't believe you're still laughing at me ..."

"Oh come on, Aya," he pleaded as she pulled back a fist. "It's just so weird, I mean really. _You_ falling out of your bed? I've never even heard of that; a military officer falling out of her bed!" and the laughter just kept on going.

Aya blinked, lowering her fist as his words sunk in. _Military officer, huh? _Despite the twelve men, her own subordinates, roaming the ship with herself and Jack, she couldn't remember it. Her past, who they were, their missions together. Sure they'd spoken about it, joked about things that had happened before, stupid things and serious things. But why was she the only one that didn't have any memory of it? Why had she come out of that place missing her memories when they'd been perfectly fine?

Jack saved her from her musings again, punching her lightly in the shoulder as he stood up. "Hey, quit being so down on yourself. We'll all find out together, okay? 'Till then, I'm _starving_!"

She couldn't help but smile, he was ruled by his stomach, as were almost all of the other men on the spaceship. "You're gonna get fat if you keep eating so much," she joked, taking the hand he offered her.

When she was finally on her feet, he pulled her into a tight embrace, his feathery hair brushing her cheeks. Almost immediately, her form stiffened like a board. Despite his being her brother and likely her only family, she couldn't help but be wary around him. It didn't make sense to her, but she instinctively didn't like him holding her so tightly, holding her like he meant to trap her. He pulled back with a sigh, a slight smirk on his face.

"I guess that's gonna take some doing, too, huh?" he rubbed the back of his head, stepping away from her.

She gripped her left elbow with her right hand, pressing her fingers into the joint, "I guess."

"Well, hurry up and get to the eatery or there won't be any food left, okay? I don't know how you can live eating so little anyway," Jack told her with a smile, seemingly forgetting the whole occurrence. "Besides, there's a system nearby and I thin the guys are gonna want to make planet-fall before they get space-sick." Then he turned and storde out of her room, the metal door swishing shut behind him.

Aya stood where he'd left her for a few seconds before sinking to the floor and punching it with all her might, her eyes closed tight in disappointment. _Why do I always_ do _that? He hasn't done anything but help me and I can't even trust the guy to _hug _me._ She sighed and covered her eyes with her hands again, the knuckles of her hand only slightly throbbing despite her having punched the metal floor. _Some sister I am, he probably thinks I don't trust him at all. _Just for good measure, she punched the floor again, not even noticing that it gave again beneath the force she didn't even know she was exerting.

Standing up again, she quickly dressed in the familiar cameo pants, black tank and knee-high combat boots that Jack and the men in her squad had stolen from the complex that she'd woken in when they'd found her. The way they described that scene to her when she'd been conscious enough to understand their words, it seemed like someone had imprisoned her their. That or they'd meant to experiment on her, but since the whole experimentation idea bothered her, they'd decided to go with imprisonment.

_Why was I in there, in that tube full of oxyfluid? And why would I have been imprisoned anyway, did I do something?_

The dark-haired woman shook the disturbing thoughts from her mind as she finished lacing up her boots, it wasn't like it mattered now anyway. She'd find the answers she was looking for, surely the military kept records on their personnel, and if they did than that's what she'd have to find. Records of her past, of who she was before she lost her memory, before she was imprisoned in the glass tube full of the thick fluid that remained burned in her mind.

At that thought she smirked, _At least there'll always be the goo._ Then she strode from her room and down the hall towards the eatery, having yet to notice the crater she'd left in the metal floor when she'd struck it. With more questions than answers, Aya marched blindly toward a future that would bring about more questions and fewer answers.

A/N: Woohoooo, another chapter! Thankies all for reviewing/commenting, it means a lot to me, truly. I'm so greatful for all of your support. I understand that this chapter may have made just about no sense at all, and hey, I'm totally with you on that. BUT! In the next chapter (which I'm working on currently) it will all start to begin to come together ... sorta. Have patience, please, I beg you, all this is really just off the top of my head. But please review and let me know what you think, I love hearing your thoughts -


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